Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War

by Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, Lauren Willig, and Marci Jefferson

Top voices in historical fiction deliver an unforgettable collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I-featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month...November 11, 1918. After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost. As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell. In this moving anthology, nine authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies. Featuring: Jessica Brockmole Hazel Gaynor Evangeline Holland Marci Jefferson Kate Kerrigan Jennifer Robson Beatriz Williams Lauren Willig Heather Webb

• ISBN10: 0062418548
• ISBN13: 9780062418548
• Publish Date: 7 April 2016 (first published 1 March 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 6 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lynn]

Every once in a while, I like to leave my “romance genre” comfort zone and read something a different. Fall Of The Poppies is an interesting collection of short stories, all set around the end of World War One in 1918.

Here are my three favourite stories from this historical anthology:

A moving story about a single mum. The Daughter of Belgium by Marco Jefferson – Amelie has lived within the confines of the Cavell Institute in Brussels for three years. Now it is time to move all the patients into another building. Amelie is informed she is to stay behind and use the training she has gained during her time at the institute to look after the only patient who isn't moving too.
Lars Ludvig is not who Amelie thinks he is and finds out they have much more in common that she ever dreamed.

Betrayal. Something Worth Landing For by Jessica Brockmole – A beautiful story of an artist who develops feelings for an injured American serviceman who is being fitted for a mask to cover his facial disfigurement. He then goes back to his home, after been told tragic news about the beautiful young lady who helped him. Years later the woman finds out that the serviceman was told of her death, so she actively tries to track him down.

Compassion and hope. All For the Love of You by Jennifer Robson – A young pregnant woman who is and about to lose her job and home meets a pilot who offers to marry her on a whim. He tells her she can claim Widows benefit if he dies. Neither would have guessed that during the time they wait to become legally married, they both are falling in love with each other.

All the contributing authors are new to me. Each has their own individual style, covering vastly different plot-lines but all share the poignancy of the Great War. The austerity of the era is highlighted, yet, there is an abundance of hope for the protagonists. As a reader, I love any story that leaves me to ponder about what happens next and there is plenty to think and wonder about within these short stories.

4 stars

***arc generously received courtesy of publisher William Morrow via Edelweiss***

[Lianne]

I was approved an ARC of this book by the publishers via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2016/03/01/review-fall-of-poppies-stories-of-love-and-the-great-war/

Fall of Poppies is a pretty solid anthology featuring interesting stories that focus on different aspects of experiences and events of the first World War: characters who witnessed atrocities firsthand and their aftermath, soldiers enduring lifelong scars, characters adrift as the world enters the glamour and optimism of the Roaring Twenties. Couples come together, couples are driven apart, children are lost, home is nowhere to be found. All the stories featured here kept my attention for various reasons: the writing, the storytelling, the characters, the themes of memory, the war, rebuilding lives.

While this collection was pretty solid, I do have my favourite stories. “The Record Set Straight” by Lauren Willig was a favourite, probably because it was a bit sadder than the others I read, there’s a sense of melancholy, resignation, and acceptance of things that had happened in the past and lost opportunities that came as a result of decisions made. Jennifer Robson’s “All for the Love of You” on the flipside was lovely and hopeful. Jennifer Brockmole’s “Something Worth Landing For” was something different, a marriage borne out of necessity than from love (at least initially), not to mention a good B-plot involving John’s strained relationship with his mother. Plus, I love a good story involving epistolaries :)

Overall Fall of Poppies was a great collection of stories from some fantastic writers who brought the period and the various struggles that went with it to life. Readers of historical fiction and of short stories will want to check this out.